Erie Snapshot: Save-An-Eye All-Star Game a longtime tradition

County teammates celebrate their 21-14 win over the City during the 76th annual Save-An-Eye Game at Veterans Stadium in Erie on July 26. ANDY COLWELL/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Story and photos by ANDY COLWELLandy.colwell@timesnews.com

August 3, 2014 12:01 AM

Every year for 76 years running, the Erie area has gathered in support of charity as Erie County high school football players compete in the Erie Lions Club Save-An-Eye All-Star Game. Fans packed into Veterans Stadium for the July 25 event as county school athletes took on opponents from the city, an iconic matchup many players have looked forward to playing for their entire athletic careers.

One of those city players, ShaQuon Thrower, has always wanted to play in the annual Save-An-Eye Game, and this year was his chance.

"It's always nice playing for a good cause," said Thrower, a defensive end and running back. The Cathedral Prep graduate's City team was defeated 21-14 by the County, but he had no regrets.

"We just wanted to give a show to the city and the county fans," he said after the game, "And that's what we did, even though we came up with a loss."

The County victory resulted in large part from a pair of touchdowns scored on interceptions by Girard graduate Bryan Divido. He was thrilled with the final score but also saw the game as a way for players to unite for a charitable cause despite rivalries that often run deep during the regular season.

"We come together. We all have the same motive," Divido said, "And we put our talent together and did our thing. The outcome was awesome."

ANDY COLWELL can be reached at 870-1696 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNColwell.